When leaving Fengchen Hall, Jiang Xuening took along the unfinished peach slice cake.

Xie Wei watched her.

She even explained with a righteous and stern expression: “Teacher Xie frequently enters and exits the palace. I imagine you wouldn’t bring pastries in and out. This way, this plate of peach slice cake left in the hall would go uneaten. If left until tomorrow, it probably won’t taste good anymore. Better to let this student take it back.”

Xie Wei said nothing.

Jiang Xuening took his silence as tacit agreement.

Carrying the food box in her hand, she strode out of Fengchen Hall with large steps: In any case, her cover was already blown—she’d played her part and pretended as she should. If Xie Wei hadn’t noticed, he wouldn’t notice; if he had noticed, she couldn’t change his thoughts or decisions anyway. Rather than that, while her head was still on her neck, it was better to live one more day at a time, eat what she could. Peach slice cake traded for with her life—of course she had to take it back and continue eating!

Having thought this through clearly, her footsteps became lighter.

Walking down the road, she seemed about to take flight.

Watching her from behind, Xie Wei only felt that both her sorrows and joys were very genuine, and very simple.

Among all the companion readers at Yangzhi Study, only Jiang Xuening was singled out by Xie Wei to spend additional time studying and practicing the qin, so her schedule often didn’t align with others. When others rested, she might just be returning; when she rested, others might already be studying.

This time was no different.

When Jiang Xuening returned carrying the food box, everyone was basically taking their afternoon rest, and the entire Yangzhi Study was quiet and peaceful. She entered her room and placed the food box on her desk. Opening it, she couldn’t resist eating two more slices before pondering the situation.

Being framed had already happened once. She could still make excuses for herself, saying she wasn’t prepared, that it was careless. But if it happened a second time, there wouldn’t even be excuses to find—she would truly be stupid and dull.

Rather than secretly guessing, it was better to clarify things face to face.

Moreover, in this lifetime she truly had no direct conflict of interest with Xiao Shu. During her time in the palace, things shouldn’t have been this difficult.

The sachet that might have caused trouble now sat at the edge of her desk.

A torn and damaged scratch was very obvious.

Jiang Xuening stared at it for a moment. When her mind was made up, she closed the food box, grabbed the sachet directly from the desk, pushed open the door, and walked out.

Her room was in the most remote corner of the entire Yangzhi Study.

Xiao Shu’s room, however, was the best one here—facing south with windows on two sides, excellent lighting, adjacent to a corridor, with no one else nearby.

It didn’t take long to walk there.

But palace servants stood quietly at the door serving.

When Jiang Xuening walked over, the palace servant standing outside saw her, bowed in greeting, and directly said to her: “Miss Jiang Er has come to find Miss Xiao Da, hasn’t she? Our young miss is waiting for you.”

Jiang Xuening immediately raised her eyebrows in surprise.

This was quite unexpected.

She glanced at the palace servant without speaking.

The palace servant said no more, stepped forward to push open the door, and invited her in.

Jiang Xuening walked inside.

This room was decorated no worse than hers, everywhere revealing the foundation that only aristocratic noble families possessed. It didn’t look ostentatious, but even a flower vase casually placed in the corner had the sky-blue glaze of after-rain celadon.

A palace servant stood by the writing desk serving ink and brush.

Xiao Shu wore a light purple flowing immortal dress, one hand pulling up her sleeve, the other holding a brush, painting. A great river flowed away, both banks emerged, ancient pines stood upright on high cliffs, a solitary sail drifted with its distant shadow gradually fading at the water’s edge.

The spirit was quite impressive.

Other women, whether daughters of great families or daughters of humble households, mostly favored meticulous flower and bird paintings, writing about spring resentments from their chambers. But Xiao Shu clearly didn’t love such things—she preferred ink-wash landscapes, her vision more expansive.

Or perhaps, this was the impression she wanted to give others.

When Jiang Xuening entered, her brush tip happened to be dotting the sail’s shadow. Looking up and seeing her, Xiao Shu smiled with curved lips and said: “I knew Miss Jiang Er would come find me, though much earlier than I expected.”

As she spoke, she set down her brush.

She also waved her hand to dismiss the palace servant attending to the ink and brush.

Only the two of them remained in the room.

Jiang Xuening had long known that Xiao Shu was not easy to deal with. Hearing this, she wasn’t surprised, only saying: “Then it seems I’m still quite beyond Miss Xiao Da’s expectations.”

Xiao Shu nodded: “Not just beyond expectations—I’m almost impressed.”

Jiang Xuening said: “You’re referring to the matter of searching Yangzhi Study?”

Xiao Shu smiled: “Miss Jiang Er is perceptive.”

Jiang Xuening scoffed, not wanting to waste words, and directly placed that sachet on the writing desk: “The sachet you returned to me yesterday is indeed mine. However, where you found the sachet probably isn’t where I lost it.”

Xiao Shu actually said: “I know.”

Jiang Xuening immediately raised her eyebrows.

But Xiao Shu fell silent for a moment, seemingly considering her words, before saying: “The matter of searching Yangzhi Study was my doing, but all this stems from an absurd misunderstanding. I didn’t mean to target you.”

Jiang Xuening suddenly found her very interesting.

Looking back at her, she smiled faintly: “I also know.”

This exchange was quite meaningful.

Between the two, there was mutual probing.

In fact, when she first learned of someone called Jiang Xuening, Xiao Shu hadn’t thought to make her an enemy. First, she came from a high family, and few people could threaten her; second, there was no substantial conflict of interest between Jiang Xuening and herself.

To become enemies, both factors were indispensable.

However, after entering the palace, everything seemed to change.

Jiang Xuening was visibly receiving attention. Though her background was inferior, in the palace she was no worse off than Xiao Shu herself. Following that was Shen Jie’s excessive concern for Jiang Xuening—he even privately kept an embroidered handkerchief. Anyone slightly perceptive knew that Shen Jie was highly likely to be established as Crown Prince, and she was a woman who wanted to become Empress.

Under such circumstances, Jiang Xuening was enough to become her threat.

And a very significant threat.

That time, she happened to learn the palace would order a search. Calculating before and after, she felt that even if this plan didn’t succeed, it could make Jiang Xuening suffer in the Bureau of Careful Punishment. Whatever happened inside naturally wouldn’t be for Jiang Xuening herself to decide.

Thus she could easily eliminate the threat this person posed.

But unexpectedly, facing crisis, this Miss Jiang Er from a minor household remained calm under pressure, argued forcefully with reason, even going so far as to threaten with death, forcibly resolving this crisis.

Even more unexpectedly, Shen Jie’s embroidered handkerchief had another owner.

Her enemy wasn’t Jiang Xuening at all, but her elder sister Jiang Xuehui!

What an enormous joke!

Xiao Shu had always cared about face. When scolded by her aunt the Empress Dowager over this matter, no matter how unwilling or displeased she felt inside, she couldn’t refute it—

She had made a wrong move, played a foolish hand.

Going forward, she would have to deal with both Jiang Xuehui and Jiang Xuening, this newly made enemy. It really wasn’t worth it.

No matter how strong a person was, they only had the courage of a common man, unable to withstand thousands of blades and swords.

Xiao Shu was unwilling to make too many enemies.

And right now, this sachet matter provided an excellent opportunity to remedy her previous mistake and reduce one formidable enemy.

Xiao Shu observed Jiang Xuening’s expression, gently waving her hand to invite her to sit, saying: “That day was truly a momentary lapse, an unintentional mistake. I nearly caused Miss Jiang Er trouble, and I feel quite guilty and uneasy. However, having no real connection with Miss Jiang Er and not understanding you well, I didn’t know how to resolve this misunderstanding…”

A momentary lapse, an unintentional mistake?

If that frame-up had succeeded, she would already be dead with her head separated from her body!

Truly worthy of the Xiao clan, born of a high family, really not treating others’ lives as lives, so high and mighty! Even Xie Wei didn’t have such a detestable face!

Jiang Xuening discovered that this was probably why she could never like Xiao Shu no matter what.

But she also had no intention of personally tearing into Xiao Shu in a life-or-death struggle.

Since the other party had the intention to win her over and make peace, she didn’t need to refuse immediately. At the very least, she should get back some interest before anything else, right?

Therefore, Jiang Xuening smiled faintly, feigning relaxation as she said with a slight smile: “For someone of Miss Xiao Da’s esteemed status to wish to resolve a misunderstanding is giving me face. How would I dare not respond?”

It all depended on whether one wanted to or not.

Xiao Shu looked back at her, seemingly weighing the truth of her words. After quite a while, too lazy to beat around the bush with her, she simply said: “There’s no point in going in circles with clever people. Let me be frank—if you’re ultimately going to leave the palace, I’m unwilling to be enemies with you. Although I’m above you, harming the enemy a thousand costs oneself eight hundred. What’s more, I still have to deal with your sister. I’m willing to show sincerity, but I wonder if that previous grudge can be written off?”

Written off?

What lovely thinking.

Quite skilled at forcing deals, aren’t you.

However, this was what she thought inside. On the surface, Jiang Xuening looked very agreeable, saying with great interest: “That’s naturally no problem. After all, I’m insignificant with little influence, isolated and alone, truly unable to contend with you. I just wonder how much sincerity Miss Xiao Da has.”

Xiao Shu picked up her sachet, contemplating it for a moment while looking at it, then smiled and said: “There are always some jumping clowns causing trouble behind the scenes, making people disgusted. Miss Jiang Er doesn’t like them, I don’t like them either. Why not handle it properly so everyone can have some peace and quiet.”

Jiang Xuening looked very satisfied: “That’s truly wonderful.”

Even thinking with her toes, she knew some troublemaker behind the scenes must have used this sachet to frame her, probably involving some important matter.

Xiao Shu of course wasn’t any kind of benevolent person.

All this talk of “sincerity” and “writing off grudges” just sounded nice. In fact, even without her existence, Xiao Shu would definitely find the person who really dropped the sachet and eliminate them to prevent future trouble!

Speaking this way was just making full use of the situation.

If she could truly fool someone into forgetting the grudge of being framed before, wouldn’t that kill two birds with one stone?

Jiang Xuening wouldn’t fall for this trick, but she was indeed going to leave the palace in the future. There was no need to tear off the mask with Xiao Shu so early. Besides, since Xiao Shu had already gotten Jiang Xuehui brought into the palace, maintaining false civility for a while held no disadvantage for her.

So she agreed very straightforwardly.

After this conversation, the two could be called host and guest mutually pleased, with Xiao Shu personally seeing Jiang Xuening out. But after walking out from that long corridor and looking back at Xiao Shu’s doors closing again, Jiang Xuening only thought of the various troubles of her previous life.

In her previous life, like Xiao Shu, she desperately wanted to become that Empress.

But unexpectedly, when the empire collapsed overnight, being Empress was no more than insignificant as an ant.

Xiao Shu was clever all her life. Right now she was calculating step by step, wanting to ascend to that position of Empress, yet completely unaware of the danger lurking in the shadows: Her true enemy—or rather, the Xiao clan’s true enemy—wasn’t any companion reader currently in Yangzhi Study at all, but that person standing high in Fengchen Hall teaching them and resolving their doubts, that sage-like Teacher Xie, Xie Ju’an!

Thinking of this, a sense of leisurely watching tigers fight arose in her heart. She smiled, then turned back toward her own room.

There was still a plate of peach slice cake in the room waiting for her.

Life was short—what was the point of scheming against people!

Jiang Xuening retrieved that medical book again, and took that plate of peach slice cake out from the food box, placing it beside the writing desk. While reading, she would conveniently take a slice to eat. The winter afternoon was quite leisurely and pleasant.

After reading for about half a shichen, someone came looking for her.

Zhou Baoying, who had come last night, knocked “tap tap” at the door again, her voice full of excitement: “Sister Ning! I’ve come to return your pastries!”

Jiang Xuening paused, taking quite a while to recall that Zhou Baoying seemed to have said something about borrowing her pastries to eat, and would come return them when new pastries were delivered.

However…

She shook her head with a smile, walked over to open the door for her, saying: “I thought you were just joking.”

Zhou Baoying truly was carrying a food box outside. Her delicate nose wrinkled slightly, somewhat proudly: “Everything related to eating is important business. Baoying also keeps her word, says what she means and does what she says!”

She walked in and opened the food box.

Inside were three layers, all filled with various pastries.

Clearly the Imperial Kitchen and the palace servants at Yangzhi Study knew she loved to eat. Every day when pastries were delivered, her portion was always the most abundant, with many more varieties and types.

“This is walnut crisp, almond crisp, this is rose-filled pastry, soybean cake…”

Zhou Baoying’s eyes were bright as she pointed them out to Jiang Xuening one by one.

But as she spoke, she suddenly saw that plate of peach slice cake placed on the writing desk. For some reason, her gaze couldn’t move away from it.

Jiang Xuening was puzzled why she had fallen silent. Looking at her, then following her gaze, her heart suddenly dropped, ice cold.

A miscalculation…

When she went to open the door to invite Zhou Baoying in just now, why didn’t she first hide this plate of peach slice cake!

Zhou Baoying bit her lip, looking at Jiang Xuening, then at that plate of peach slice cake: “Sister Ning’s pastry looks like it would taste really good…”

Jiang Xuening: “…”

She wanted to say, no, you’re mistaken, this doesn’t taste good at all. But who could withstand Zhou Baoying’s moist, doe-like eyes?

It was as if not giving her some to eat was a crime.

Moreover, this young girl had seemingly casually come to tell her those things yesterday—she had a kind heart.

Jiang Xuening thought for a moment. In the end, she couldn’t bear to refuse. Though she felt her heart bleeding, she still smiled and patted her head, saying: “If you want to eat it, I’ll give you half to take back, okay?”

Zhou Baoying’s face immediately lit up with joy: “Okay!”